Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre just notched his 3,000th hit, which puts him in rarefied air. He’s the 31st player in baseball history to join the 3,000-hit club and only the second third baseman (having played at least 75 percent of his career games at the position) to do so along with Wade Boggs. This didn’t exactly sneak up on us; coming into the season, Beltre’s milestone was bound to happen as long as he stayed relatively healthy, entering the year with 2,942 hits. He got there despite missing the first two months of the season with a strained right calf.

Though achieving 3,000 hits garners a tremendous amount of respect, it still seems like he’s underrated. It’s not just the hits that make him good, it’s the power. He has 454 homers and 605 doubles in his career. The only other players with at least 400 homers and 600 doubles are Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Stan Musial, Carl Yastrzemski, and Cal Ripken, Jr. All Hall of Famers, or should-be Hall of Famers.

Defense still isn’t nearly as easily quantified as offense, which may help explain why Beltre flies under the radar much of the time. He’s a five-time Gold Glove Award winner and that seems light. He won one last year at the age of 37, becoming the oldest player to win the award since Brooks Robinson in 1975. In doing so, Beltre had to beat out arguably the best defensive third baseman in baseball in Manny Machado.

How much has defense added to Beltre’s value? According to Baseball Reference, he’s saved 227 runs above average over his career, adding about 28 wins. As a result, Beltre has 92.4 career Wins Above Replacement. He’s one of 28 players in baseball history with at least 90 WAR. Only four of those 28 are third basemen: Mike Schmidt (106.6), Eddie Mathews (96.2), Beltre, and Boggs (91.1).

What also makes Beltre stand out is how productive he’s been while aging. Everyone remembers his 48-homer season back in 2004 as a 25-year-old with the Dodgers. While he never quite matched that season, he has overall been more productive in his 30’s than when he was younger. From age 19 to 29, he hit .271/.327/.459 with 242 home runs and 862 RBI in 6,400 plate appearances (HR every 26.4 PA and an RBI every 7.42 PA). From age 30 to 38, he hit .305/.355/.507 with 211 home runs and 740 RBI in 5,055 plate appearances (HR every 24 PA and an RBI every 6.8 PA). Beltre accrued 41.2 WAR through age 29 and 51.2 WAR since.

Last season, at 37, Beltre hit 32 homers and knocked in 104 runs. There are only 21 other player-seasons since 1901 in which a player hit at least 30 homers and drove in at least 100 runs at age 37 or older. The list includes Alfonso Soriano, Andres Galarraga, Babe Ruth (twice), Barry Bonds (twice), Carlton Fisk, David Ortiz (four times), Edgar Martinez, Frank Thomas, Fred McGriff (twice), Hank Aaron, Hank Sauer, Mike Schmidt, Moises Alou, and Rafael Palmeiro (twice). If we add another constraint, 30 doubles (Beltre had 31 last season), the list shrinks to nine. Of those nine, only five also hit .300 or better and Beltre was one of those five.

Beltre is having yet another strong season. Entering today’s action, he was hitting .310/.387/.538. He doesn’t and won’t have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, it’s still impressive. Since the mound was lowered in 1969, there are only 18 player-seasons in which a player 38 years old or older hit .300 or better with enough PA to qualify for the batting title. Barry Bonds, David Ortiz, Edgar Martinez, Eddie Murray, and Jeff Kent are the only players to slash .300/.375/.500 or better at the age of 38 or older.

In Hall of Fame discussions, players are often referred to as having been compilers, meaning that they played a lot of seasons, giving them more opportunities to add to their counting stats. Beltre played 20 seasons, which is longer than most players, even All-Star-caliber players. But Beltre wasn’t just a compiler. In 10 of those 20 seasons, he accrued at least five WAR which is typically an All-Star-caliber season and often enough to propel one into MVP discussions. Beltre racked up at least seven WAR in four seasons as well. He had both peak and longevity, which is typical of inner circle Hall of Famers.

Savor witnessing Beltre’s 3,000th hit, folks. You are witnessing not just one of the best third basemen of all time, but one of the best players, period. He’ll be properly enshrined in Cooperstown soon enough.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports Thursday that the Orioles “are said to have begun fielding calls of interest” on superstar Manny Machado and “are close to the point of seriously weighing whether to trade him.”

You’d think it would be a no-brainer for the last-place O’s to flip Machado — an impending free agent — for prospects, but Heyman notes there is “still a question whether or not longtime Orioles owner Peter Angelos” will give the go-ahead. One person familiar with the situation put it a “50-50” likelihood. Another suggested that it would take a massive return, which, sure.

Machado entered play Thursday with a sensational .328/.405/.635 batting line, 15 home runs, and an MLB-leading 43 RBI in 49 games. It’d be a real shock if he’s still wearing an O’s uniform by the end of July.

Heyman reported previously that at least nine teams made aggressive plays for Machado this winter, including the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Indians, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Cardinals. A whole lot of those teams still make sense here in late May — maybe all of them except the White Sox.